Grand Prix of Mexico City (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) | November 5-7, 2021

pepeto1 As specified by:
Statement: Let’s just set aside all this talk about favoritism for now. Once the Grand Prix weekend actually wraps up, then we can start debating who the real favorites were.

I'll know I've finally hit my stride when I can play the part of the general surveying the battlefield after the dust has settled. 🤷 That wasn't exactly your brightest moment...

Post-race analysis? Are you kidding me!? 🤦

I’ve said it before: anyone claiming this is just a guaranteed win for Red Bull Racing is being way too overconfident.

Up until those final laps in Q3, everyone was convinced Red Bull Racing would dominate the field... just like they always do.

All that talk is just noise. Let’s wait until the race wraps up today—not to see if we were right or wrong, but to finally see if our gut feelings hold water.

So far, my intuition is holding up. It looks like Mercedes-Benz is finding some serious rhythm here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For now, at least.

@Gregory Brown94/">@@Gregory Brown94,

I get why you're frustrated, but there’s always got to be a balance between historical facts and what’s actually happening in the current season. Of course, everyone—myself included—would love to open a thread and find a deep dive into the racing history of this track, something written like a beautiful newspaper feature or a scripted documentary. But after that, we still need plenty of coverage on the present season.

To be honest, I used to write Grand Prix topics in that exact long-form style years ago for ESPN, and some shorter pieces for Fox Sports and that old CNN forum. Back then, though, I wasn't working full-time, so I had way too much free time and energy to pour into all my hobbies.

Anyway, thanks for adding to the thread with such a great story.
__________________________________________________ ________

Here is the starting grid for today's race▼



What am I expecting? A great start from Valtteri Bottas to hold onto P1, while Max overtakes Lewis on the clean side to take P2. Sergio Perez will likely use that gap to defend himself against Pierre Gasly, who will be under pressure from Daniel Ricciardo. In the end, Daniel Ricciardo might just barely stay ahead of Carlos Sainz. Charles Leclerc will probably have a little fun battling Sebastian Vettel but should stay ahead. Nacci might try a banzai maneuver again and potentially pass Sebastian Vettel. Fernando Alonso is the only one who can really threaten Kimeta; nobody else. I'm expecting some contact among the bottom five drivers because that little group is just chaotic.

My Top 10 prediction at the end of the first lap:

1. BOT ◄ 0
2. VER ▲ 1
3. HAM ▼ 1
4. GAS ▲ 1
5. PER ▼ 1
6. RIC ▲ 1
7. SAI ▼ 1
8. LEC ◄ 0
9. VET ◄ 0
10. GIO ▲ 1

I find myself predicting a bit of chaos at Turn 1, where I suspect the primary protagonists in the ensuing scramble will be the drivers from Mercedes-Benz and Red Bull Racing.

@graniteharbor502/">@@graniteharbor502
An optimist wearing rose-colored glasses.

I have a gut feeling that Perez might... stumble... right at the starting line. If he manages to stay upright, he might lead the race through to the end, but I’m just not sure how much of an impact he'll actually make.

I’m just praying we don't get any absolute garbage out of this race—if there’s a red flag or a bunch of pointless pauses, I am seriously gonna pass out mid-race. 🙂

Exactly.
I was actually looking forward to the evening session, but lately... I ended up heading over to 🙂

graniteharbor502 said:I'm calling it now: absolute chaos at Turn 1, mostly driven by the Mercedes and Red Bull drivers.

Red Bull has been playing with themselves so much lately, I wouldn't be surprised if Pierre Gasly slams into Max at the start, and Max just takes Sergio Perez out as collateral damage. 😬

If someone decides to go absolutely rogue, they’re just going to end up blindly accepting whatever Charles Leclerc throws at them.

stormybadger8 said:Red Bull Racing is just making their own mess lately. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Pierre Gasly ends up slamming into Max at the start, and then Max just takes out Sergio Perez in the chaos as a result. 😬

Or maybe it’s the reverse of what happened at the Circuit of the Americas. Gasly clips Sergio Perez, who then slides right into Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Meanwhile, Verstappen just cuts through the chicane and gets away clean. 🤣

Red Bull Racing 🙈
Radio chatter 🙏🤣

Schedule!!!

rapidstag2 said:Yeah, right. I knew things were starting late in '21—did some digging online and didn't really catch on until I hopped on YouTube to check out the qualifying highlights. 🤣

Hopefully I'll remember to tune in tonight at 8. 😁

If only they actually put a schedule in the intro...

ruggedhawk20 said:The schedule!!!

Have you lost your mind? You were already given the schedule yesterday.

The race starts at 8 PM.

stormybadger8 said:Check out this video on YouTube—it’s pretty wild.

Red Bull Racing 🙈
Team radio—absolute chaos. 🙏🤣

Brukica, you're such a pain. 😍

Let us move along quickly now; what kind of absolute wreckage should we anticipate seeing at Turn 1, and who are the primary actors involved?

A four-car collision at Turn 1 involving: Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, and Lewis Hamilton.

graniteharbor502 said:Are you losing it? You got the schedule yesterday.

race starts at 8 PM

Is it really that hard for our beloved President to just drop the schedule in the intro post? I shouldn't have to dig through like a thousand posts just to find it.

Either that, or give Alan a warning before he gets banned—you can't just post intros without the basics like the start time.

graniteharbor502 said:Let's move it—how much of a wreck are we looking at in Turn 1? Name names.

A 4-car pileup at Turn 1: Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, and Lewis Hamilton.

Since Lance Stroll is basically at the back of the pack, I'm not expecting any total chaos.

🎉

ruggedhawk20 said:Is it really such an immense struggle for our beloved President to include the race schedule right there in the opening post? Must the dear President truly force us to hunt through an entire Iliad of posts just to find it?

Perhaps we should issue Alan a gentle warning before he faces being banned—remind him not to draft these introductions without including the fundamental details, such as the schedule itself.

Well, if you look at the very last image in the first post, the schedule is actually tucked away down there at the end. Still, I do hope that Alan might consider honoring the community's desire to have the schedule placed in a much more prominent location—and perhaps in a much more readable format—moving forward.